


The Second Time Around

by Sly_Oren



Category: DRAMAtical Murder - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Angst, FTM Seragaki Aoba, Gender Dysphoria, High School Drama, M/M, Noiz and Clear are pretty weird, Other, Sei isn't sick, Sexual Content, Transgender, but they're adorable, or dying
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-12
Updated: 2017-10-21
Packaged: 2018-10-18 05:22:20
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 4
Words: 12,535
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10610118
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sly_Oren/pseuds/Sly_Oren
Summary: When you are already thrust into a world of cliques and drama... being transgender doesn't make teen life any easier.AKA High School AU ftm trans Aoba dealing with life and stuff.





	1. Starting Over

Aoba let out a relaxing breath as the car pulled into the school parking lot. He looked at the intimidating looking building and shrunk back into his seat a little. “I hate this…”

“It’ll be fine, Aoba. We’ve talked about this. Koujaku or I will be here in a second if anything happens.” A man with maroon hair sat at the wheel of the car, his green eyes looking at his boyfriend with a sympathetic gaze. 

“I know but…” Golden eyes moved down to his lap, looking at his hands. It was bad enough that he was already incredibly shy and had a hard time talking to new people, but to be transferred to an entirely new high school in his Senior year was just too overwhelming. “I’ll be all alone. And what if people don’t understand?” 

“Aoba…” A tanned hand moved to grasp one of Aoba’s smaller hands, bringing it up to his mouth to kiss the knuckles. “I know it’s scary, but maybe this is a good thing. I mean, no one here knows about who you used to be.” 

“But Mizuki…” Aoba pulled his hand back almost harshly and immediately regretted it. “Sorry… I’m just really anxious about this. Yeah no one knows but I haven’t even gone through any kind of treatment yet…” 

Mizuki sighed, resting his hands on the steering wheel. Being with Aoba for the last two years had opened Mizuki’s mind a lot about his best friend. He’d known Aoba for a long time and had been there for every moment of his adolescent years. He was there when Aoba had confessed that he may be transgender, and again when he told MIzuki that he was gay. He was even there for those few dark years where Aoba was just lost and confused. Mainly lashing out with fighting, drugs, and promiscuous sex. He had been through it all. Even when he had been forced to leave his last high school due to death threats relating to him being trans. Death threats mainly from ‘concerned’ parents. 

But despite everything he had been through with Aoba, Mizuki knew he would always love him. 

Reaching a hand out to tuck a few strands of bright blue hair behind Aoba’s ear, he leaned in to press a soft kiss to Aoba’s cheek. “I know you can do it baby… you’ve gone through much worse and you’re still here.” 

Aoba wiped an errant tear from his cheek and leaned over the handbrake to press a proper kiss to Mizuki’s lips, Their fingers intertwining. “Sorry for being so neurotic.”

Mizuki just smiled and pressed one final kiss to Aoba’s mouth. “I’m not complaining. But you should probably go, I think your first class is starting in like fifteen minutes.” 

Aoba nodded, even though he was still nervous as hell. “And you promise you’ll come if i need you?” 

“I promise… I have someone at Black Needle if I need to leave.” 

Aoba nodded again and grabbed his messenger bag containing his laptop and a few notebooks. “Okay… thanks for driving.” 

“Of course… now go.” 

A hint of a smile graced Aoba’s face as he opened the door, the cool morning air hitting him immediately. 

“I love you….” he said quietly as he make his way out of the car. 

“I love you too, Aoba.” Mizuki could feel his heart clench and couldn’t help but smile as well. It never failed to get to him every time Aoba told him he loved him. 

Closing the car door, Aoba turned to look at the building again, a whole new wave of fear hitting him now that he was out of the car. Taking a deep breath, he made his way to the entrance of the school, trying not to make himself too noticeable. Although with his hair, that was proving to be pretty impossible. 

Waiting until Aoba was inside, Mizuki pulled out his phone and sent a text to Koujaku letting him know that Aoba had been dropped off and he was on his way back to Black Needle. 

{Koujaku} How did it go?  
{Mizuki} As expected, he freaked out  
{Koujaku} I don’t blame him though  
{Mizuki} Yeah… but I think starting at a new school is really going to help him.   
{Koujaku} Yeah. I’ll come over when he’s out of school and hang out with you guys.  
{Mizuki} I think he’ll like that.

Mizuki started up the car and pulled away from the building, taking one last look at the doors and Aoba’s retreating back before turning the corner and pulling out into traffic. 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Feeling the stares already on him, Aoba moved through the hallways and pulled his jacket tighter around him. His chest was pretty small already and it was easy to wear a binder that made his chest flat as a board. But even still… with everyone seeming to be staring at him, he always tended to feel self conscious about that aspect. 

Luckily no one approached him or tried to talk to him on his way to his first class. He already had his schedule so he didn’t have to worry about not knowing where he was going. Although now that he was looking at his first class, he realized with a sinking feeling that he didn’t really know his way around the school.

The hallways seemed never ending, and no matter where he seemed to go, he couldn’t find the right room number anywhere. He was terrified of the prospect that he may have to ask someone for help; but after another five minutes of fruitless searching he knew it was inevitable. 

Spotting someone who didn’t seem to be engaged in conversation with anyone else, Aoba approached quietly and cleared his throat. “Um… excuse me…?” 

A boy with white hair turned around and Aoba couldn’t help but be surprised at the male’s eye color… he’d never seen anyone with pink eyes before. He must be wearing contacts...

“Sorry to bother you… I just started at this school and I don’t know where my first class is… I know you’re probably busy getting to your own class but I was wondering if you knew where this room was?” Aoba held out his schedule to the other boy, his hand shaking slightly as his nervousness rose. 

The boy merely smiled brightly and took the paper from Aoba. “Of course! I know how confusing this school can be, it really doesn’t make any sense the way they lay out the classrooms…” 

He looked at the paper and his eyes widened slightly. “Oh! You have the same class as me! You can just follow me if you want. My name’s Clear by the way.” 

Aoba was a bit surprised at the overly cheerful attitude but wasn’t about to question it. At least he seemed nice. “Oh.. thanks that would be great… Um, my name’s Aoba…” 

“Wow that’s a really cool name! And you’re hair is really pretty too.” Clear’s smile didn’t waver as he began to walk , grabbing Aoba’s sleeve and pulling him along. “Come on, class starts in five minutes.” 

Aoba cringed slightly at his hair being called ‘pretty’. He knew that it didn’t mean that Clear thought he was a girl… but people usually didn’t say things like that to guys. He felt his confidence deflate a little more as he followed Clear, feeling even more self conscious. 

They made it to class just as the bell rang and Aoba thanked Clear before taking a seat next to him. He really hoped that the teacher didn’t make him stand up in front of everyone to introduce himself. In Japan he had to do that every time he started in a new class but ever since moving to America with his grandmother and brother, that hasn’t really been a thing. 

He remembered very clearly when they had moved. He was only eight years old but it was still vivid in his mind as if it were yesterday. He honestly hadn’t minded moving; not having very many friends to miss made it a lot easier to leave. Not only that, but the reason they moved was for his twin brother Sei who had been very sick at the time. Aoba hadn’t known exactly what was wrong with his brother but when he heard that there was a hospital in America that could take care of him, he didn’t even question it. He loved his brother more than anything and would do whatever it took to see him get better. 

It wasn’t long after they had arrived in the new country that he had been told exactly why Sei needed to be there. Sei had been born with an incredibly weak heart, and since infancy, doctors had been trying to find a match for a transplant. Sei had been in and out of hospitals for what seemed like his entire childhood. Aoba remembered never being able to play with his brother outside or go to school with him. But when he finally had been approved for a new heart that matched, there was no question that they would go anywhere for Sei. 

It had been almost ten years since the surgery and his brother was as healthy as anyone else with a proper working heart. Although Aoba did miss being in school with him. It was incredibly painful when he learned he’d be changing schools last year. His brother was the only one he had there, and now he had no one. 

He was brought out of his thoughts as he heard the door open and what he presumed to be their Literature teacher stepped in. Aoba immediately went wide eyed at the look of the guy, he was huge…

“Good morning… I hope you’re all awake because despite what you may have done in previous years, we’ll be getting to work right away.” The tall man scanned the room with a critical eye, long dreadlocks fell down his back and a few decorative beads and feathers adorned them. As nice as that was, it was offset by the man’s sheer size in muscle, he practically looked like a bodybuilder.

Aoba was a bit confused. How the hell could a guy like that be a teacher? He looked so mean… He was a bit worried of what the man would do if he ever got an answer wrong or received a bad grade… 

“I see some of you I recognize but for those who don’t know me, you can call me Mink. I’m sure others who’ve taken my classes before will tell you that I don’t take any form of bullshit. It’s up to you if you want to enjoy my class or not. If you choose not to, then that’s your problem. I’m not here as a babysitter.” 

Everyone in the classroom was silent and Aoba found himself looking over at Clear for a second to see his reaction. To his surprise, Clear looked excited…?

Leaning over slightly, Clear’s voice was almost a whisper as he spoke. “He’s the best Literature teacher at this school… I’ve been in his class every year since starting here-”

“Clear… do we really have to have this struggle every year?” Mink’s face was set in a hard, stern look but his eyes seemed to contradict his harsh words. 

Cleared visibly flushed and looked down at his desk in embarrassment at being caught. “Sorry, Sir. I’ll try not to talk as much this year…” 

“We’ll see…” Mink then moved on to the aim of the class and what they would be focusing on for the rest of the school year. He passed out the reading list and Aoba was a bit intimidated by the books that were on there. They seemed pretty advanced but nothing he couldn’t handle. Although he had a feeling he had pretty much made friends with Clear already so he was pretty confident he could ask the other for help if he needed it. 

He couldn’t help but notice something though… Clear seemed to be awfully attentive whenever Mink spoke. He wasn’t really sure if he was always like that in every class or maybe it was something else. He had said that Mink was an amazing teacher, despite the large man’s initial impression; which was more or less intimidating as hell. 

Class ended an hour later, Mink giving them their first reading assignment as they left the classroom. He noticed Clear was among the first to get up and made a beeline to the teacher’s desk. Well… looks like he was forgotten already…

Looking at his schedule, Aoba luckily recognized his next classroom number, having passed it a few times when he had been trying to find his first class. He turned though when he heard Clear call his name. 

“Aoba! I’ll meet you at your locker so we can eat lunch together okay?” Clear gave a bright smile before turning back to talk to their teacher. 

Aoba smiled back, a bit nervously as he exited the classroom and made his way to his second class.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

By the time lunch came around, Aoba was feeling a little better about things. No one seemed to notice anything unusual about him, except his hair… Everyone had questions about his hair. And as always, he went along with the story of it being dyed and that one of his good friends had done it for him. It seemed that MIzuki had been right after all. Starting at a school where no one knew him as female was turning out to be much better, even if he didn’t have his brother with him. 

While Aoba was thinking of Sei, he pulled out his phone as he waited for Clear to show up and sent his brother a text. 

{Aoba} How’s your day going so far without me?  
{Sei} Shitty… I miss having you to hang out with.  
{Aoba} Whatever, I know you have friends there…  
{Sei} That’s not the point… How has it been there?  
{Aoba} Actually, not as bad as I thought. I think I’ve already made a friend… he’s kind of weird but he’s nice at least.  
{Sei} I told you that you could make friends easily… are you at lunch now?  
{Aoba} Yeah… Clear offered to eat lunch with me.  
{Sei} I’m assuming that’s the new friend’s name?  
{Aoba} Yeah… I think I see him. I’ll see you after school?  
{Sei} Yeah, Mizuki’s picking me up before you.  
{Aoba} Kay. Love you <3  
{Sei} Love you too <3

Aoba put his phone away just as Clear approached, a smile still plastered on his face. “Hey Aoba! Sorry I took so long, I was talking to Mink.” 

“Again? Didn’t you talk to him after class?” Aoba put his books in his locker and closed it before following Clear to the cafeteria. 

“Yeah, but I had a question about the reading list…” A subtle blush appeared on the boy’s pale skin once more and Aoba couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow again.

Once they got their lunch, Clear had Aoba follow him outside to a courtyard. They were heading to a patch of grass where a giant tree shaded the area. Aoba noticed someone else already sitting there and became a bit nervous again. This kid looked a bit scary. He looked like he was angry about something and it didn’t help that he had an unknown number of piercings all over his face. How did he even get away with all of them at school? And yet, they continued to walk toward him. 

“Hey Noiz! This is Aoba, he’s new…” 

Aoba didn’t really pay much attention to what Clear said after that. All he focused on was that Clear called him ‘he’. He felt his chest tighten a bit in happiness as he stepped forward feeling more confident. 

“Nice to meet your Noiz…” He held out his hand and was a bit surprised as the blond boy actually took it. 

He flushed a bit under the intense gaze Noiz gave him, piercing green eyes seeming to be calculating everything about him. Shit… did he see through his attempts to pass as male? He really hoped he didn’t say anything if that were the case… He wasn’t ready for Clear to find out yet. 

“You have really small hands….” 

“Eh…? Aoba raised an eyebrow as his hand was dropped. “Thanks… I guess?” 

“Sorry about him… Noiz can be a bit weird sometimes.” Clear sat down cross legged in the grass and set his tray down in front of him before looking over at Noiz. “Where’s your lunch Noiz?” 

Said boy shrugged and lay back on the grass. “Ate it already… I was hungry and tired of waiting for you…” 

Aoba sat down next to Clear, beginning to eat his food. He had decided to forgo the cafeteria food and instead bought a few things from the student store just off to the side of the cafeteria. Opening a bag of chips, he popped one into his mouth before observing Noiz for a moment. 

It was a bit hard to tell how old he was, the way h dressed and all the piercings he had, it made him look a lot older than someone in high school. He had to admit that he was pretty cute though… So was Clear now that he thought about it. Obviously they were very different in the ways in which they were attractive, but there was something about Noiz that just seemed to draw Aoba in more. 

He was brought out of his thoughts as he realized a hand was reaching into his chip bag and he looked down a bit confused to see a bandaged hand retreating with a handful of chips. 

“Noiz! That’s so rude, don’t take his food like that!” 

“It’s not like he was eating them…”

“Still!”

Aoba couldn’t help but laugh a little passing the chips over to Noiz. “It’s fine, you can have them if you want, I’m not that hungry.” 

Clear huffed and took a sip of his water. “You know you shouldn’t encourage him like that, he’ll steal all your food if you’re not careful.” 

“What… he gave them to me willingly…” Noiz took the bag with a cute smirk and popped one into his mouth. 

Aoba couldn’t help but smile, Noiz was definitely a cutie. He wasn’t as intimidating once he was engaged in conversation. “So Noiz, where are you from? I notice you kind of have an accent…” 

“Germany… my parents’ moved here when I was twelve for business. You’re from Japan right?” 

Aoba raised an eyebrow. “Yeah… how did you know?” 

Noiz smirked again. “My grandmother is Japanese… so I know the accent pretty well.” 

Clear just looked back and forth between the two as they talked. He smiled slightly though, loving the fact that he was able to help Aoba gain another friend. 

Aoba noticed throughout lunch that while Noiz was using male pronouns with him, he was also looking at him a bit strangely. He wasn’t sure if it was because Noiz could tell and didn’t care, or he just liked to stare… He didn’t want to ask though, it would make it obvious that he was trans if he confronted Noiz about it. 

After lunch Aoba felt a lot better about being at the new school. He didn’t have anymore classes with Clear, but he was pleasantly surprised when he had two with Noiz; chemistry and gym. Luckily they didn’t have to change or do anything physical on their first day so Aoba was able to avoid the inevitable locker room anxiety. 

One thing Aoba had found out about Noiz over the course of the day, was that he was 15 but in the same grade as him. Apparently he was some kind of genius or something like that. Aoba hadn’t really gotten much of the details but either way, he had been moved up several grades when he moved there from Germany. 

When the final bell rang, Clear met him once more at his locker and offered an invitation to hang out at his house with Noiz for a bit. Aoba politely declined though, saying his boyfriend would be picking him up soon and he probably should get started on Mink’s homework. 

“Oh! You have a boyfriend? That’s so awesome! Does he go to a different school?” 

“No… he graduated already, he’s a tattoo artist and owns his own shop.” 

“That’s so cool! I’d love to meet him sometime. Maybe I can come over to your house soon and we can study together!.” Clear didn’t wait for Aoba to respond before waving his goodbye and heading off with Noiz. 

Amused, Aoba waved back and made his way to the side of the school where the designated ‘pickup’ area was for students. He looked at his phone and realized it was a bit later than Mizuki had said he’d be picking him up. Pulling up a text box, he messaged him. 

{Aoba} Where are you?

Mizuki cursed as he heard his phone beep. He was already late picking Sei up from school and he had a feeling it was Aoba. He glared at the cars in front of him and sighed as they moved forward just a bit more. He always forgot how crowded pick up areas of schools were. 

Pulling out his phone, he sent a text back. 

{Mizuki} I’ll be another few minutes… still trying to pick up Sei, the traffic around the school is a fucking pain in the ass. Sorry baby. 

Aoba sighed as he read the message and put his phone back in his pocket. He sat down at the curb to wait and practically jumped out of his skin when he felt a tap on his shoulder. 

Turning his head he saw Noiz standing behind him and he raised an eyebrow at the younger boy. “I thought you went with Clear…”

“I wanted to ask you something…” Noiz sat down next to Aoba, pulling out a soda from his bag and popped it open. “Want some?” 

Aoba shook his head . “What did you want to ask me?” 

Noiz took a sip of his drink before responding. “Are you a girl?” 

Aoba felt his stomach drop as his entire body heated up with fear. Shit… he fucking knew… Aoba had a feeling he knew. What the fuck was he supposed to say? 

“Um… No…” 

“It’s just that you kind of have a feminine body shape… And your face kind of looks more feminine too…” 

Aoba felt on the verge of tears at that point. He had just made friends with this guy and now he was probably going to reject him like everyone else. 

He looked away, his confidence plummeting. “Trust me, I don’t like looking like this…” 

Luckily Aoba saw Mizuki’s car before Noiz could respond and he quickly got up with a quick apology and power walked over to his boyfriend’s car, getting in the back since Sei was already in the passenger’s seat. 

Mizuki could already tell by Aoba’s body language that something had happened, and he frowned as he looked at him through the rearview mirror. “How was school baby?” 

“Fine… I don’t want to talk about it… I just want to go.” He fought back tears as he caught a glimpse of his brother’s expression in the mirror as well. He hated being weak in front of Sei,, especially after they had talked earlier that day. 

Despite his efforts though, he could feel the tears begin to fall and saw Sei open the door to get out of the car and got in once more in the backseat next to him. He felt his brother’s arms wrap around him and that was all it took to release everything as he cried on his twin’s shoulder. He had been fine before Noiz had to go and ruin everything. 

Of course Aoba knew it wasn’t actually Noiz’s fault. It wasn’t even confirmed that Noiz suspected he was trans. But in Aoba’s mind, the blond had already figured it out and was ready to ridicule and ditch him like everyone else. 

Mizuki waited a bit before speaking, knowing the two needed their time together. Sei never failed to be the one to help calm Aoba down the most. 

Once the tears had stopped, he turned in his seat and reached back to take Aoba’s hand in his. “Hey… you want to stay with me tonight?”

Aoba just nodded as he sniffled a bit, taking a tissue that his brother handed him. “I’ll have to tell Granny first…”

“I’ll tell her.” Sei offered as he finally released Aoba to put on his seatbelt. 

Aoba nodded as he put on his own seatbelt and watched as Mizuki turned back toward the steering wheel to begin navigating his way out of the parking lot. 

He had been feeling so much better up until that point. He had made two new friends on his first day and hadn’t really had any issues with anyone. Now he felt like he was back at square one. Not to mention he practically ditched Noiz before he could even figure out what the younger male was implying. 

He sighed as he lay his head against the headrest behind him. How the fuck was he going to even face Noiz tomorrow? 

He turned his head to look out the window as he scenery passed by. It was official, he couldn’t even go one day without sabotaging himself. He turned his head when he felt a hand grab his and smiled reassuringly at his brother. Even though the smile was fake he hoped Sei would appreciate his efforts anyway. 

At least he’d be able to forget about everything for a little while once he got to Mizuki’s. Because he knew tomorrow was going to be even worse.


	2. Chapter 2

“Mizuki…” Aoba moaned softly as his boyfriend entered him, his toes curling at the feel of MIzuki’s hard length against his slick inner walls. He clung to the bedsheets as his hips rose up to meet every one of Mizuki’s inward thrusts, his muscles clenching and massaging around the other’s cock. 

Mizuki’s lips trailed soft kisses along Aoba’s face and neck, his mouth occasionally sucking at the soft skin of his lover. “Fuck baby… you’re so tight right now...” 

Aoba clung to the redhead, his eyes shut and body already shaking as he could feel an orgasm approach. It never took long with Mizuki, his boyfriend knowing every sensitive spot and never failed to exploit them to the fullest extent. 

“Harder… Mizuki… fuck me…!” Aoba felt his body tense as soon as Mizuki complied and he could feel the telltale signs of his first orgasm squelching against Mizuki’s cock, his moans desperate as he left scratch marks on the tanned skin of Mizuki’s back. 

“Oh shit, baby… that’s so fucking hot…” Mizuki panted as he pressed his mouth to Aoba’s, his tongue pushing inside to caress against his boyfriend’s. He could already feel his own orgasm approach and his thrusts became a bit slower and yet more powerful as he let out a long moan. 

Aoba’s walls continued to clench as he came down from the intense pleasure, soft moans continuing to spill from his lips at the stimulation to his oversensitive body. The fire never left him though and he wrapped both legs and arms around his boyfriend, tightening every muscle in encouragement. 

Mizuki’s moans came out stilted as he came hard, Aoba’s walls still twitching around him. He was still so incredibly slick which made it feel even better and he couldn’t help it as he buried his face in Aoba’s shoulder and his hips began to slow. 

Aoba panted heavily, his hands caressing Mizuki’s back and shoulders in a comforting way. He still wanted more but knew that Mizuki wouldn’t disappoint him. His boyfriend always needed a couple minutes after an orgasm. 

Pulling back, MIzuki slipped out of Aoba and quickly removed the condom he had on, throwing it away before returning to the bed. He kissed along Aoba’s neck, down to his collarbone and then even further until he reached Aoba’s hardened nipples. Meanwhile, his right hand drifted down Aoba’s body, caressing his flat stomach before reaching his entrance. 

Aoba gasped as his nipple was taken into MIzuki’s wet mouth, moaning as his boyfriend’s tongue flicked over the hardened nub. He lifted his hips, encouraging Mizuki to enter him with his fingers. It didn’t take much encouragement and he was soon panting as Mizuki was thrusting in and out of his slick entrance once more. 

Since Mizuki had more precision with his fingers, he was able to hit every spot that made Aoba go insane. He could already feel the younger man tightening in preparation for another orgasm and he smirked as he moved his mouth down to where he knew Aoba wanted it most. 

“Fuck! Mi...zuki… aaah….!” Feeling that tongue on him was what ended up unraveling him entirely. He spread his legs wider to allow Mizuki’s fingers to go even deeper inside of him, hitting that sweet spot that his boyfriend knew exactly where to find. The feeling of that slick tongue on him made his toes curl and hips twitch as he came hard, not caring in the least that he was making a mess of the bed sheets. 

Mizuki pulled his fingers out after another few seconds; Aoba’s orgasm so intense that it was difficult to even move his hand at that point, let alone remove them from his boyfriend’s body. He gave one final kiss to Aoba’s inner thigh before moving up his body once more to his mouth, pressing their lips together in a sweet kiss. 

Aoba wrapped his legs around Mizuki’s waist, pressing back against the kiss with a satisfied moan. He loved the way Mizuki cuddled with him after sex, it always made him feel safe and protected. 

Pulling back slightly, Mizuki pressed one last kiss to Aoba’s cheek before rolling off of him and onto his side, pulling the other into his arms once more. “You want to shower?” 

Aoba nodded, already feeling exhausted but knew he needed to shower before they went to sleep. “Let me just wait until my legs stop shaking…”

Mizuki chuckled quietly and kissed Aoba’s neck. Now that he was coming down from their sexual activities, he started to think about Aoba’s break down in the car earlier that day. He knew better than to ask his boyfriend about it right away, but he also knew that if he didn’t bring it up at all, Aoba wouldn’t either. 

He ran his fingers through Aoba’s soft, vanilla and lavender scented hair before pressing another kiss to his shoulder. “Are you ready to talk about what happened earlier?” 

Aoba’s body stiffened for a moment before he sighed and pulled away from Mizuki. “You’re really going to ask me that right after sex?”

Mizuki raised an eyebrow and placed a hand on Aoba’s arm. “Come on, don’t be mad, I’m worried about you. Sei said you were having a good day when you talked to him at lunch…”

Aoba sighed again and turned over so his back was to his boyfriend’s front, moving backward to press against him. “I was… but this guy I met asked me if I was a girl…”

Mizuki wrapped an arm around Aoba, spooning against him. “Was that the one sitting next to you when I pulled up?” 

“Yeah… I mean, he didn’t seem disgusted or anything, and it wasn’t like he straight up said he thought I was a girl but… He said I looked feminine so he just wanted to know…” Realizing he was starting to ramble, Aoba shut his mouth. He didn’t really want to talk about it anyway; but he also wanted Mizuki to stop worrying. 

“Aoba…”

He recognized that tone and he interrupted Mizuki. “Stop… I’m sick of being told that it’s okay… I’m not even bothered if he knows… he referred to me with male pronouns all day so I don’t think he cares if he does know… I just feel like shit because I can’t pass like this…”

Mizuki was used to Aoba’s outbursts and never held it against him. He knew how hard it was for the other to even feel comfortable in his own body, let alone have to deal with other’s impressions of him. “Maybe he’s just really observant… You said no one acted weird around you today right?”

“Baby… I really, really don’t want to talk about it anymore….” His good mood was ruined now and all he wanted to do was sleep. He had gone to Mizuki’s to forget about what had happened that day and his boyfriend just continued to bring it up. 

Before Mizuki could reply, Aoba pulled away from his embrace and stood before heading to the bathroom to shower. 

Mizuki sighed and rolled onto his back, staring up at the ceiling. He hadn’t meant to upset Aoba; all he was trying to do was be supportive, but it seemed like every attempt he made was returned with frustration and anger. 

Hopefully tomorrow would be better for him… 

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

“Aoba Seragaki?” 

Said teen looked up as he heard his name called. He was currently sitting outside of the offices at school waiting to talk to his guidance counselor. He had had an appointment to meet with him the morning before classes started on his second day and he really hadn’t been looking forward to it. 

The previous night had been awkward at best with Mizuki when he had gotten out of the shower. They had pretty much just went to sleep after that and the next morning wasn’t any better. They barely spoke as Aoba got ready for school. He had refused breakfast, not at all hungry, and they had gotten into a huge argument about how he should be eating more… That was the last thing he needed that morning… a fight between him and his boyfriend hanging over him all day. 

“Are you Aoba?” 

He snapped out of his thoughts as he realized he had been spacing out for a moment. “Oh...sorry, yes I’m Aoba…” 

“Come on in and have a seat.” The older man smiled gently and held the door a bit wider for Aoba to pass by him before closing it once the teen was inside. 

Aoba was a bit surprised at how nice this man was. He was pretty sure the reason for the meeting was because of him being trans. He hadn’t wanted it to be known to anyone but his grandmother had thought that at least the school staff should know in case something were to come up regarding bullying or any treatment he may be approved for in the upcoming year. 

He was still cautious though, people could fake acceptance pretty well… “Thank you..” 

He sat down a bit awkwardly, a bit nervous at what they would actually be talking about. 

“So I was notified by the principal that you’re currently going through a transition?” He gave nothing away to how he felt about that and Aoba didn’t let anything show on his face either. 

“Um… well not chemically or anything. I came out as transgender when I was thirteen so I’ve just been trying to pass as male as best I can since I still need to finish my time with my therapist and get approved for hormones.” He felt a bit weird talking to a stranger about this who wasn’t his therapist… But he got the impression he could trust this man. 

The counselor nodded and looked at his computer for a moment. “Well we’re definitely here to help if you ever need anything and you are more than welcome to come to me if you need to just talk about something. I’m always available during and after school.” 

Aoba wasn’t sure if he should bring up what happened the day before with Noiz but he kind of felt like mentioning it… But there was something else he wanted to bring up first. “Um… Mr. Brent… what should I do about gym? I mean… I don’t mind using the men’s locker room I’m just… a bit scared…” 

The greying man looked up and pushed his glasses back up his nose a bit. “That’s one of the things I wanted to discuss with you. You’re more than welcome to use whatever facilities you feel the most comfortable with, even if you’d rather change in a private bathroom… We do have one by the locker rooms for staff but if you’re uncomfortable then we can definitely make an exception. I’ve read over your file from your previous school and we definitely want to prevent anything that would put you at risk of harassment.” 

Aoba nodded, genuinely grateful for that. “Thanks, I really appreciate it. I think I’ll see how the male locker room goes for the first week… I haven’t had any issues so far with anyone.”

“Good to hear.” Mr. Brent stood up, signalling that Aoba should do the same. “Well, thank you for coming in, I just wanted to introduce myself and make sure you know that we are definitely here for you if you need anything.” 

Aoba stood as well and shook the hand offered to him. “Thank you… I’ll let you know if anything comes up.” 

He left shortly after that, heading to his first class. He had met Clear at the door and felt a little uncomfortable, not sure if Noiz had said anything to him after he had just walked away after school. 

If Noiz had said anything, Clear didn’t give anything away. He was just as happy as he had been the day before and was talking to Aoba excitedly about their first reading assignment. 

By the time lunch came around, Aoba was an anxious mess. He hadn’t seen Noiz at all before lunch and hadn’t dared to ask Clear if Noiz had said anything to him. 

Just like the day before, they made their way to the patch of grass that was shaded by a large tree and Aoba spotted Noiz already there. He felt his heartbeat speed up as he moved forward and sat down. He gave Noiz a tentative smile. “Hey…”

Noiz had been occupied with his PSP when they had walked up and only looked away when he heard someone speak. He raised a pierced eyebrow. “Hey…” 

Clear looked between the two of them before eyeing Noiz suspiciously. “What did you do to him?” 

Noiz sat up from his reclined position on the grass and put his game away. “Why would you assume I did something?” 

Aoba felt his face flush slightly. “He didn’t do anything… I kind of ditched him yesterday without an explanation… Sorry about that by the way.” 

Noiz just shrugged. “It’s fine…. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable… I was just curious.” 

Clear looked confused and let out a small whine. “Wait… what happened? What were you curious about?” He glanced over at Noiz then to Aoba once more. 

“Nothing… it’s not really important…” Aoba interjected before Noiz could answer and opened his soda to occupy himself with something else. It hadn’t seemed like Noiz was treating him any differently so maybe he didn’t know? Or if he did he didn’t care? Aoba hoped that was the case at least… 

The awkwardness slowly diminished and the three of them were back to talking freely like they had been the day before and Aoba did feel a lot better. He knew he tended to overthink things way too much and this time was no exception. But he honestly couldn’t help it with everything he had been through for the majority of his teen years. 

Just before lunch ended, he received a text from his brother. He didn’t think much of it as he pulled his phone out of his pocket, until he read the message. 

{Sei} Don’t freak out but I had to go home early… got sick at lunch but I think it was just something I ate… Mizuki’s picking me up since Granny isn’t able to get out of work. Love you <3

Aoba’s stomach dropped when he read that and quickly texted back. 

(Aoba) WHAT??? Tell him to pick me up too… I want to make sure you’re okay…  
{Sei} Aoba… I’m fine… you don’t need to miss school just because I puked in the middle of the cafeteria… it was more embarrassing than anything…   
{Aoba} Are you sure…?   
{Sei} Positive…   
{Aoba} Fine… tell Mizuki he doesn’t have to pick me up after school I’ll call Koujaku. I don’t want you to have to be alone and sick…  
{Sei} *sigh* Fine… see you in a couple hours <3

Aoba looked up from his phone to find two pairs of eyes staring at him. One pair concerned the other intrigued. “Sorry… it was my brother… he got sick at school or something.”

Why was he making it sound so casual? He was just freaking out over it in his head just a second ago… It wasn’t usually like him to try and look like shit wasn’t bothering him. Usually everyone knew what he was thinking no matter what. 

“Oh…. I hope he’ll be okay! Is he older or younger?” Clear leaned in a bit closer and Aoba wondered how someone at the age of 17 could be so concerned for another person’s well being that he didn’t even know?

“He’s actually my twin…”

“That’s so cool!!!” Clear interrupted. “I hope he feels better though…”

Aoba smiled. “Thanks… I’m sure he’s fine. It just scares me when he gets sick since he was sick for the majority of his childhood.” 

Clear didn’t ask anymore about it, Aoba assumed he was doing it out of respect for Aoba’s privacy and he appreciated that. Noiz had gone back to his game but that didn’t really matter. Aoba never expected pity or anything when he talked about his brother and his illness. 

The rest of the day went smoothly; even gym was fine. Aoba did feel a bit awkward in the locker room and obviously changed in one of the bathroom stalls located in the large room, but no one seemed to notice or really care. A couple other guys did the same which made Aoba feel a lot more comfortable about it. He wasn’t sure why they were doing it, but he wasn’t going to question it. 

He did get a few looks from some of the guys though, but he figured it was mainly about his hair. He made sure not to wear anything too tight and since they weren’t required to wear uniform gym clothes, he felt a lot more comfortable being able to wear what he wanted to hide some aspects about his body. 

When school let out Aoba made his way to the pick up area like h had last time and saw Noiz already there. Shit… was he waiting for him? He cautiously approached with a slight smile. “Hey Noiz… are your parents picking you up?” 

“Nah… I usually just take the bus… “ Noiz didn’t elaborate after that and just stayed silent, continuing to look at Aoba. 

“Oh… well… did you need something?” Aoba still wasn’t sure what the hell Noiz’s deal was, he was just kind of… weird. 

Noiz shrugged. “Just wanted to say that I hope your brother feels better…” 

Aoba wasn’t sure how to respond to that. It was really odd just to wait for someone after school to tell them that… It was incredibly sweet of him but still odd. But Aoba couldn’t help his smile softening. “Thanks… I appreciate it.”

Noiz just nodded and then turned to leave without another word, leaving Aoba still a bit stunned.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HELLLOOOOO I'M BACK!!!
> 
> Sorry for the unexpected hiatus... I think I burnt myself out with this fandom at least fanfiction wise but I'm back to give you all some great stuff! As always, love getting those comments!

Aoba was still staring in the direction Noiz had walked off to when Koujaku pulled up to the curb. He turned when he heard his name called and smiled as he saw the older man. “Hey… sorry I was just talking to someone… How’s Sei…? Do you know if he’s still with MIzuki?” 

“Yeah, Mizuki decided to just close up and take Sei to his place until your grandmother was off work.” Koujaku smiled as he saw how happy Aoba looked. He hadn’t seen his friend look like that in a long time and it really made such a difference. 

Koujaku had known Aoba even longer than MIzui. He had pretty much been Aoba’s first friend upon the younger male moving to America. Of course he was still female back then but Koujaku had been nothing but supportive when he found out that Aoba had come out as transgender. 

Aoba put on his seatbelt and pulled out his phone to check for any texts from Mizuki or his brother and found none. That didn’t really strike him as odd though, he knew Mizuki and Sei were pretty good friends so they were probably just hanging out and watching a movie or something. 

“So who were you talking to?” 

The question snapped Aoba out of his thoughts and he turned to look at Koujaku as they began to drive out of the parking lot. “Just a guy I met yesterday. I’ve been eating lunch with him and this other guy for the last two days. They’re really nice but a bit weird...” 

Koujaku chuckled and stopped at a red light. “Weird huh? Seems like the type you’d hang out with…” 

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Aoba pouted as he playfully swatted Koujaku’s arm. “Are you saying I’m weird?” 

“You can be..” The older man chuckled as the light turned green and they were on their way once more. “You want anything to eat before I take you to Mizuki’s? I don’t mind buying…” 

Aoba huffed at the ‘weird’ comment but nodded. “Yeah.. I’m starving, I didn’t eat much at lunch today… I was kind of nervous again.” 

Koujaku glanced over at Aoba quickly before nodding in understanding. “You seem to have made friends though so that’s good right?” 

He pulled into a Starbuck’s drive thru, knowing that Aoba loved Starbucks and would have much rather gone there than any fast food place. 

Aoba nodded. “Yeah… I mean so far it’s been so much better there. I just miss being able to spend time with Sei at school and having him there with me…” 

They ordered their drinks and food. Koujaku just opting to get some iced tea while Aoba ordered a double shot iced soy caramel macchiato with extra caramel and a panini. He usually had a regular order for a few weeks at a time, not switching it up too often. He also got Sei something as well, but since his brother didn’t really care for coffee, he just got him a Chai latte; pretty much the only thing Sei would get whenever they went together. 

A few minutes later they pulled up and parked in the guest spot at Mizuki’s apartment complex. Aoba got out and followed Koujaku to the front door of the building, carrying both his and Sei’s drinks. He really hoped Sei was feeling better and that it really was nothing more than something he had eaten. Sei’s health had been so great ever since his transplant that anything remotely suggesting his brother was sick would immediately bring the flashbacks of his childhood crashing back down onto him 

Koujaku had a key to Mizuki’s place, so he let them in and they headed toward the elevator. Once on the correct floor, Aoba walked ahead of Koujaku and knocked on the door once he reached the apartment. 

“Coming!” The word came after a slight pause and Aoba wasn’t sure why but he thought it sounded a bit panicked… 

He didn’t have much time to think about it as his boyfriend opened the door and smiled brightly when he saw who it was. “Hey baby! I didn’t realize it was time for you to get out of school… “

He looked around Aoba and spotted Koujaku. “Thanks for bringing him… you want to come in?” 

Aoba dismissed what he thought he had heard, Mizuki seemed completely normal… Why the hell had that fear creeped up into his mind? He had never thought anything remotely close to Mizuki ever cheating on him, and with his own twin no less? Maybe it was just the stress from the last couple days. 

“Hey… I brought Sei something from Starbucks, is he feeling any better?” 

Koujaku shook his head to MIzuki’s question. “I have to get back to work, but it’s no problem, Aoba’s worth missing a couple hours for.” 

Mizuki hummed in agreement before waving the hairdresser off and wrapped an arm around his boyfriend, kissing the side of his head. “Sei’s asleep right now but we can put his drink in the fridge… I’m not sure what was wrong but he seems to be feeling better now… still a little nauseous though.” 

Aoba nodded and walked into the entryway and then the kitchen to place the drink in the refrigerator. He still felt something deep in the pit of his stomach but he trusted Mizuki… he had to trust him. Mizuki never gave him a reason not to. 

“Baby… you okay?” 

Aoba turned and smiled a bit awkwardly but nodded. “Yeah I’m fine… just worried about Sei…” 

“He’s fine Aoba… I promise…” Mizuki pulled Aoba against him, wrapping his arms around his lithe body. “How was school?”

Aoba rested his head on Mizuki’s chest and wrapped his arms around his waist. “It was good… Noiz and I talked… or I guess I mostly talked… but it’s not weird between us so that’s good. I also talked to my guidance counselor. He’s really nice…” 

“That’s good… I’m so happy you’re doing well there.” Mizuki ran his fingers through Aoba’s hair and pressed a kiss to the top of his head. 

Aoba couldn’t help but notice that Mizuki hadn’t kissed him on the mouth yet. Usually that was the first thing he did when he saw him, but today he hadn’t… He tried really hard to push the thought away and instead took it upon himself to lean in to press a kiss to his boyfriend’s lips. 

He felt MIzuki step away just as he closed his eyes and he opened them just as quickly to look at the other. “What…? You don’t want me to kiss you now?” 

Mizuki raised an eyebrow. “What? Why wouldn’t I want you t o kiss me?” 

“You pulled away right before I was about to kiss you….” 

“I didn’t mean to.. I’m sorry..” Mizuki moved back in and pressed his lips against Aoba’s, lingering there for a moment before pulling back. “I had been about to ask you something… “

Aoba felt slightly relieved but not fully… Something felt off… “What?” 

“Are you still mad about this morning? I just noticed you’ve been a little distant since you got here…” 

“I got here like two minutes ago Mizuki….” Aoba was the one to step away this time and headed into the living room. He was a bit confused when he didn’t see Sei there. Even though Mizuki said he was sleeping, wouldn’t he be on the couch? 

“Aoba…” Mizuki followed the younger teen to the living room. “What the hell’s your problem today?” 

“Is Sei in your room?” 

“Yeah… I said he was sleeping…” Mizuki paused and then realization lit up in his eyes. “Come on Aoba… don’t start thinking like that. You know nothing’s going on.”

Aoba felt the urge to cry but tried hard to push it down. He turned around to look at Mizuki and then sighed and sank down onto the couch. “Fuck… I’m just so stressed about the new school and shit…. I’m sorry….”

Mizuki sat down and pulled Aoba into his lap, stroling his finger through his hair gently. “I know… “

They sat in silence for a bit longer until they heard movement from the bedroom and Sei emerged looking like he had just woken up, which made Aoba feel a bit better. Now he just felt guilty for thinking such a horrible thing about his brother and boyfriend.

He stood up from Mizuki’s lap and hugged his twin. “Hey… how are you feeling?” 

“A lot better… that cafeteria food is fucked up.. I got a text from some friends that some of the other students got sick too…” Sei returned the embraced and looked at Mizuki quickly over his brother’s shoulder. 

“Seriously? Fuck that school is a piece of shit.” Aoba chuckled and pulled away. “Well, I got you a chai latte… if you’re feeling up to it.” 

They spent the next few hours just hanging out with Mizuki and doing a bit of their homework before Mizuki got a text from Tae letting him know she was home. He cleared his throat and stood. “Alright boys… time to go.” 

Aoba packed up his things and headed toward the door, Sei right behind him. It would be good to sleep in his own bed again. Not that he didn’t enjoy sleeping in Mizuki’s bed… but he really had a lot on his mind and just wanted to be alone that night. 

Once they arrived home, Aoba kissed Mizuki goodnight before opening the car door. 

“Hey…” Mizuki’s voice was soft and full of concern. “You want me to take you to school tomorrow?” 

Aoba hesitated for only a moment before smiling. “Sure…. “

Mizuki frowned but didn’t question the answer and just nodded. “Alright… I love you.” 

“Mhm… “ Aoba caught the worried look Sei had thrown at Mizuki as they exited the car. But he said nothing as he closed the door, blowing MIzuki one more kiss through the window. 

The moment they were inside, Sei spoke up. “What’s your problem? Why are you being such a jerk to him?” 

Aoba sighed, he knew Sei would bring it up and he really hoped his brother would have just left it alone. “It’s not him… I’m just stressed…” 

“Aoba… I’ve seen you stressed and you’ve never treated him like this… “

“Sei I don’t want to talk about it… I just want to go to sleep…” Aoba made his way into the kitchen to say hello to their grandmother before heading upstairs, telling her he wasn’t hungry for dinner. He could hear Sei following him and he swore if his brother tried talking to him again…

“Aoba…” 

“Okay seriously… how do you not understand ‘I don’t want to talk about it’? It’s none of your business anyway.” Aoba felt a headache blossom behind his eyes and he felt faint pain in his lower abdomen… fucking great… 

Sei seemed to shrink back a little at the outburst but just sighed and headed back downstairs. 

Aoba felt a little guilty, but not too much. He knew Sei was only trying to help but sometimes Aoba just needed to deal with things on his own. He rubbed the bridge of his nose as the headache increased and headed into the bathroom. 

Just as he expected there was a hint of pink on the toilet paper after he did his business. He sighed in frustration; just another reminder of how wrong his body was… It really grossed him out, it always had. He never thought of it as a natural thing… For girls it was, but he wasn’t a girl so it was just disgusting.

After finishing up in the bathroom, Aoba made his way to his room and flopped down on the bed. He pulled out his phone and saw there was a text from Mizuki. He really didn’t want to read it so he put the device on the nightstand before putting his headphones on, blasting some techno and rolled over, curling into a ball, trying to suffer through the wave of pain that just hit his abdomen.

After a few minutes, he was lost in the music and didn’t hear Sei come into the room. He practically jumped out of his skin when he was tapped on the shoulder and glared at his brother. “Don’t do that... You scared the shit out of me….” 

“Sorry… I just wanted to bring you some tea.. It helps with your cramps right?” Sei was standing next to the bed, an innocent expression on his face and a mug of steaming tea between his hands. He had a feeling by Aoba’s moodiness that he was going through that time of the month and always felt bad for him.. He knew it made his brother uncomfortable, not only physically but emotionally as well. He couldn’t blame the other for being pissed off at everything. 

Seeing his twin standing there like that made Aoba’s frustration seem to melt slightly and he took the mug with a grateful smile. “Thanks.. Come’ere…” 

Sei sat down next to his twin and leaned his head on the other’s shoulder as Aoba took a sip of the hot drink. 

“Sorry I’ve been such an asshole today… I just get insecure sometimes. You know…. With Mizuki…” 

“What? Why would you feel insecure? Mizuki loves you…”

Aoba set his mug on the nightstand next to his phone and pulled his brother down on the bed to cuddle with him. “I know he does… and I know he supports me and all that but…. Sometimes I just think he’d rather have someone who isn’t going though what I am… like… maybe he just wants a real guy…” 

“Aoba…”

“Stop… I already know what you’re going to say.. I’m not a real guy… at least not physically. That’s what I’m mostly worried about. He’s gay… he likes guys... And that includes a male body. He probably just feels sorry for me and fucks me out of pity…” 

“That’s really mean Aoba… you know he doesn’t feel that way…” Sei pulled Aoba closer, running his fingers comfortingly through his brother’s hai. “You know Mizuki isn’t that superficial….” 

“I guess… “

There was silence after that, the two just laying there thinking to themselves. Aoba had to admit the tea was working and he felt a lot better. He was about to fall asleep when he heard Sei’s voice speak but didn’t understand what he had said. 

“Hmmm?” He murmured as he shifted slightly to look up at his twin. His eyes widened slightly when he saw his brother was crying. “Sei… what’s wrong?” 

“Aoba… please don’t hate me… I don’t know… fuck I’m so sorry…” 

Aoba was incredibly confused but he felt a heavy weight drop in the pit of his stomach again like it had done earlier that day. “What are you sorry for?” 

Sei pulled away from his brother and turned his head, not able to look at Aoba. He couldn’t believe he would ever be in this situation… 

“I.. kissed Mizuki…”


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope everyone is liking this one! Feel free to comment as always! And if you are interested, check out my other works as well!

Aoba wasn’t sure how long he had been still and silent after Sei had spoken, but he was brought out of his shock by movement next to him. Sei was sitting up, looking extremely worried before getting out of the bed. 

“Aoba…?” The black haired twin wasn’t sure what to even say next. His brother hadn’t reacted at all… Was he that angry? Of course he was… why wouldn’t he be? He had just been told that his twin had kissed his boyfriend. “Aoba I didn’t mean…”

“Don’t… I don’t want to talk right now…” Aoba rolled over, facing away from his brother after grabbing his phone from the nightstand. He sent a text to Koujaku asking him to pick him up. He couldn’t stay there… not when he knew he would say something he’d regret later. Despite how crushingly hurt he was, he still loved his brother too much to ever want to say anything nasty to him. 

Sei didn’t speak anymore, knowing that Aoba would probably be leaving soon. That’s what he always did when he didn’t want to deal with things. He’d just leave. He sat down on his own bed and felt like crying but he didn’t want to seem weak in front of one of the people he looked up to the most. 

Aoba’s phone chimed with a new message that Koujaku was on his way and Aoba got out of bed once more, not even looking in his brother’s direction as he got dressed. Without a word to Sei, he headed downstairs and peeked into the kitchen to see if his grandmother was there. 

Tae looked up as her grandson poked his head around the corner and she could already tell that something had happened. “Finally hungry?” 

“No…” It was amazing that his voice hadn’t cracked yet in his desperate struggle to keep the tears in. “Koujaku’s picking me up.. I’m staying over there tonight.” 

The older woman could hear the hurt in his voice even if Aoba wasn’t aware of it. She wanted to know what had happened but knew at the same time that Aoba wouldn’t tell her. At least not yet. She was honestly just grateful that Aoba was telling her he was leaving… It was only a couple years ago that her grandson was incredibly reckless and would just stay out for days on end without coming home. So instead of denying him permission to leave, she just let him. It was better than not knowing if her grandson was dead in a ditch somewhere. 

“That’s fine… just make sure you eat something. I don’t want you skipping meals…” She finished her tea and took the cup to the sink before heading toward the stairs. “I’ll be heading to bed, don’t stay up too late.” 

She placed a gentle hand on Aoba’s cheek for a moment before heading upstairs, most likely to ask Sei what had happened. Which Aoba didn’t really care if his brother told her or not, he just wanted to leave. 

It was only a couple minutes later when Aoba heard the engine of Koujaku’s car pulling into the driveway, and the bluenette headed outside and quickly got into the car. He was almost at his breaking point and he was trying so hard not to let his emotions take over. 

“So are you going to tell me what happened?” Koujaku knew right away that something was wrong as soon as he saw Aoba’s face. There was so much pain there… He remembered how worried Aoba had looked earlier that day when he had dropped him off at Mizuki’s and wondered if it had anything to do with that. 

“I’ll tell you when we get to your place... I just want to go.” Aoba could hear the tremor in his voice and cursed himself as he grit his teeth. He was not going to break down in Koujaku’s car… 

The hairstylist wanted to press the issue but decided against it when Aoba turned away to avoid his gaze. So he just nodded in agreement and began to head toward his apartment. He was glad he hadn’t had someone over that night, it would have definitely made for an awkward situation. 

The drive was silent, but it didn’t take long to get to Koujaku’s apartment complex. Aoba wasn’t sure how to even tell the older man what had happened or how to even process it still. He never imagined Mizuki would let something like this happen… or that his brother could do something like this to him. He knew he had to talk to Mizuki eventually but he also knew that if it happened tonight, screaming and crying would be the only things accomplished. 

Once they were inside, Aoba took off his shoes at the front door and pulled off his coat. He wasn’t really sure how to start but he knew he couldn’t keep Koujaku in the dark much longer before the older man would start asking questions. 

“Sei kissed Mizuki earlier today…” He knew he had just thrown it out there without any preparation, but there was nothing else he could think of as a way to lead up to it. He felt the tears threatening to fall and was honestly tired of holding them back, so he didn’t. 

“What…?” Koujaku’s eyes widened in surprise. That doesn’t sound like either MIzuki or Sei at all… “Are you sure?”

“What the fuck do you mean ‘Am I sure?’ Are you fucking kidding me right now?” Aoba knew he was taking out his frustrations on Koujaku but really… shouldn’t Koujaku be on his side?

“I mean how do you know? It just doesn’t seem like them…” Koujaku wasn’t new to Aoba’s tempter. He knew how to handle the other when he was angry so it wasn’t a shock when the other exploded on him. 

Aoba’s throat was tight as he battled with his rising emotional state and he glared at Koujaku. He knew it wasn’t his fault but he was there and he needed to take his frustrations out on someone… “Sei told me…” 

Koujaku wasn’t sure what to say for a moment. He knew Sei wouldn’t lie about something like that, and he knew the black haired twin would obviously tell Aoba something like that to not keep it a secret from his brother. Even if it meant hurting him. “Aoba… I think you need to talk to Mizuki…” 

“I fucking know! But I can’t right this second…” He had a hard time holding anything back now and he sank onto the couch, the tears falling heavier now. 

Koujaku immediately moved to sit next to his best friend, pulling the other into his arms to try and comfort him at least a little. He could feel the smaller body shaking as he pulled Aoba closer and couldn’t help but feel his anger rise toward Mizuki and Sei. Aoba was definitely not in the right mindset to be dealing with things like this. 

“Alright… it’ll be okay…” He wasn’t sure what else he could say. Obviously Mizuki had feelings for Sei. Why else would the redhead kiss Aoba’s twin? He was tempted to call Mizuki himself but knew that Aoba wouldn’t want that. So he just held the crying teen until he calmed down enough to speak again. 

“I just want to go to sleep…” Aoba muttered once he was calm enough to actually form words. He pulled away from Koujaku and looked up at him. “Do you mind if I sleep with you? I just… don’t want to be alone right now.” 

Koujaku merely nodded and stood up with the bluenette, leading him to his bedroom. It wasn’t the first time Aoba had spent the night at his place… although it was the first time he had as his friend instead of his girlfriend. 

Aoba didn’t find it awkward at all to sleep in his ex boyfriend’s bed. They were best friends after all and he knew that Koujaku wasn’t interested in him that way anymore. 

They both slid under the blankets and Aoba snuggled up to Koujaku, hoping the other wouldn’t find it too awkward, but he just needed some physical comfort at the moment. Usually he would cuddle with his twin but that wasn’t going to work this time. 

“Is this okay?” Aoba asked tentatively as he looked up at Koujaku. 

“It’s fine… you know I’m alright with this.” Koujaku chuckled and ran his fingers through Aoba’s hair carefully. 

Aoba just nodded and rested his head on his best friend’s chest, falling asleep surprisingly easily. He was definitely emotionally exhausted so that was most likely the contributing factor. 

Turning off the light, Koujaku continued to stroke Aoba’s hair until he too fell asleep. He knew he would have some words for Mizuki tomorrow. He vaguely wondered how that would go considering they shared a workspace… 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Aoba stared at his phone during lunch at school the next day, contemplating on if he should call Mizuki right then or wait until after school. He knew he had to confront the redhead but he was honestly terrified. Not really of Mizuki, but of the way he would most likely break down and cry again. 

“Gonna finish that?” 

Aoba was brought out of his thoughts at the question and he looked up to see Noiz squatting down next to him and eyeing his unopened bag of chips. He couldn’t help but smile just a bit at the blond’s brashness to ask for food without any kind of embarrassment. 

“Do your parents not feed you or something?” Aoba chuckled as he passed the bag over to Noiz and put his phone away. He figured after school would be best to talk to Mizuki… that way he could do it in person. 

Noiz just shrugged and sat down fully next to Aoba and opened the chips. “So you looked pretty sad when you came to school today. Did that guy that dropped you off say something shitty?” 

“No he didn’t say anything. Although your interest in my well being is appreciated.” Aoba looked around vaguely for Clear but he hadn’t seen him since their last class together. That gave him the perfect opportunity to change the subject. “Do you know where Clear is?” 

“Probably talking to Mink…” The blonde said with a mouthful of chips. “He wants to fuck him or some shit…”

“Ew, Noiz… Mink’s like in his forties… ” Aoba already knew that Clear had a crush on Mink but didn’t like to think about it much. It was obvious though with how much time he spent talking to Mink after class about ‘homework’. 

“I mean, if they like each other then who cares? Not like they can have fucked up kids or something…” Noiz finished off the chips and leaned back against Aoba’s side casually before pulling out his PSP. 

“I doubt Mink feels the same way… even if he did, I’m sure he’s smart enough to not act on it.. He would get thrown in prison if he was caught.” Aoba wasn’t sure how he felt about Noiz leaning up against him like that. It seemed incredibly intimate… But he had learned over just the short amount of time he had known the blond that he did not give a crap about personal space. And it wasn’t like it really bothered Aoba too much. It was actually kind of nice. 

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Once school let out, Aoba was picked up by Koujaku again. The older male had an annoyed look on his face and Aoba figured that he had talked to Mizuki. He didn’t ask about it though when he got in and they drove off in the direction of Black Needle. 

“Are you sure you want to do this at his work Aoba? I know how you can be when you’re upset... “ Koujaku finally spoke up when they were halfway there. He glanced over at the bluenette when they had stopped at a red light with a worried expression. 

Mizuki had given Koujaku nothing but remorse about the whole thing and he wasn’t sure how to feel about it. He could tell that the redhead regretted what had happened between Sei and him but he wasn’t sure if he was telling the truth or just in denial about how he felt about Sei. He had told Mizuki in no uncertain terms that if he really wasn’t sure who he wanted then he needed to end it with Aoba because he was not about to have his best friend be in a relationship with someone who wasn’t going to put their all into it. 

“Yeah it’ll be fine… I mean. I wasn’t going to just talk to him out in the open, we’d go in his office or something I guess…” Aoba’s thoughts were definitely conflicted about what he felt. On one hand all he wanted was for Mizuki to tell him that he regretted what he did and that he still loved Aoba with everything he had and they would eventually put it behind them. On the other hand, he just wanted Mizuki out of his life… 

It was all too soon that they parked and the bluenette felt butterflies in his stomach as he grabbed his school bag and got out of the car. He steeled himself before heading inside, not bothering to see if Koujaku was following him or not. 

Mizuki felt his stomach drop when he saw Aoba walk into the shop and hadn’t realized it was that late… He was glad he hadn’t been working on anyone because if he wanted to keep Aoba, he wouldn’t have hesitated to halt the tattoo he would have been working on. 

“We need to talk…” Aoba’s voice was steady and it was incredibly difficult to even accomplish that as he looked at the person who had hurt him so badly, someone he had never imagined would ever hurt him like that.

“Okay…” Mizuki said quietly and led Aoba to his office. Once they were both inside, he locked the door and leaned against it, looking at his boyfriend who was facing away from him. 

The silence was excruciating and Aoba felt his composure slipping a little as he took in a shaky breath. He couldn’t do this… he had too much on his plate emotionally and adding something like this to the mix wasn’t something he needed for his mental health. 

“Aoba… I-”

“I’ll be getting my stuff from your place tonight…” Aoba’s voice was a mere whisper as he spoke. He knew it was the best thing for them. Even if MIzuki did regret what he had done, he still let Sei kiss him. There were obviously still feeling there between his twin and his now ex boyfriend. 

“I don’t even get a chance to say anything?” Mizuki felt his body run cold when he heard those words and he pushed away from the door and took a few steps toward the bluenette. “I don’t want to lose you… I didn’t…”

“What? You didn’t mean to? Is that what you were going to say?” Aoba turned around and fixed the redhead with a pointed glare. “You know how close Sei and I are… how the hell could you even think I’d just let it slide? And even if you ‘didn’t mean to’ it still happened, Mizuki… there’s obviously feeling there… So why do you want to keep me around when you obviously don’t want to fully commit to me?”

“Aoba… just listen to me for one minute. I didn’t even initiate anything. It was a mistake, Aoba… we both regret what happened… we’d never want to hurt you like that-” The tattoo artist tried to take Aoba’s hand in his own but the younger teen stepped back. 

“‘Sei and I’... ‘we’... I just… I just want to get my stuff and not talk to you for a bit. You really hurt me Mizuki, both of you did… It’s going to take a long time for me to even think about letting you back into my life.” With that, Aoba pushed past the redhead and exited the office, tears welling up in his eyes once more. It hurt to say those words but he couldn’t let anyone walk all over him, even someone he knew loved him… just not as much as he claimed he did.


End file.
